Screen Time: New Report Reveals UK Toddlers Spend Nearly 7 Hours a Day
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A new nationwide report explores how children under 17 in the UK are engaging with technology, looking at screen time habits, smartphone ownership, and its associated effect on physical and mental health
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British children under 4 are logging the highest amount of screen time, hitting six hours and 57 minutes per day
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Over a third of children (34%) struggle to eat meals without a screen in front of them
A new nationwide report by Compare and Recycle, the electronics recycling comparison site, explores the growing relationship between children and screens.
Drawing on insights from over 1,000 parents in the UK, and with accompanying commentary from paediatric occupational therapist Olivia Hodges, the new research reveals concerning trends around the growing usage of technology among children. Full details below:
Screen time among toddlers is causing developmental delays
According to the findings, the average child in the UK is spending over six hours a day on screens, with toddlers logging the highest amount at nearly seven hours.
This is well over the World Health Organisation’s recommendations, which suggest that under twos should have no screen time at all, and those aged two to four should have a maximum of one hour per day.
While technology has come to play a huge role in our lives, and children may be disadvantaged compared with their peers if they’re kept away from it, the report does show that as screen time increases, so does the delay in hitting key developmental milestones.
Among children whose parents admitted they have more than three hours of screen time per day, traditional milestones like tying shoelaces, riding a bike without stabilisers, using cutlery, catching a ball or writing their name have been hit with a significant delay compared to children that clock less than three hours of screen time per day.
Table showing developmental differences in children with more or less than 3 hours of screen time per day
|
Milestone |
Age hit (below 3 hours of screen time) |
Age hit (above 3 hours of screen time) |
Developmental Age Difference |
|
Tie shoelaces |
5 years 7 months |
7 years 6 months |
1 year 11 months |
|
Ride a bike without stabilisers |
5 years 1 month |
6 years 7 months |
1 year 6 months |
|
Use cutlery to eat a full meal |
4 years 10 months |
6 years 3 months |
1 year 5 months |
|
Stop using a dummy |
3 years 8 months |
4 years 10 months |
1 year 2 months |
|
Handwrite their name |
4 years 10 months |
5 years 11 months |
1 year 1 month |
|
Use toilet independently |
4 years 9 months |
5 years 9 months |
1 year |
|
Hold a pencil correctly |
4 years 5 months |
5 years 4 months |
11 months |
|
Read a full sentence aloud |
5 years |
6 years |
11 months |
|
Throw/catch a ball |
4 years 5 months |
5 years 4 months |
10 months |
|
Count to 10 |
3 years 9 months |
4 years 6 months |
9 months |
|
Climb/descend stairs |
4 years |
4 years 7 months |
7 months |
Compare and Recycle enlisted the help of Olivia Hodges, a registered paediatric occupational therapist, who believes that while screens can be beneficial, monitoring and limiting children’s usage is incredibly important in curbing developmental delays, commenting: “Withoutaccess to technology, children can be disadvantaged compared to their peers – but the duration, context, and content of the screen use are critical in determining its benefits.
“Extended or excessive screen time, especially when passive, can negatively impact several core sensory systems in children. Typically, when on a tablet or smartphone, only one side of the body is engaged, limiting the opportunity for two-handed coordinated tasks.
“Glass screens offer limited tactile feedback and reduce a child’s exposure to varied textures, which are essential in developing touch discrimination. Screen time also often encourages sedentary behaviour.
“Sedentary behaviour does not activate the muscles and joints needed for core strength, postural control, and joint stabilisation. Children need active play – such as spinning and swinging – to develop balance and motion tolerance, through things like climbing, jumping, pushing, and pulling.”
To help counteract the negative physical and mental impacts of excessive screen time, she recommends activities like messy play, bead threading, crawling, and climbing – all of which can help to support hand strength development, core control, and sensory integration.
Screens are impacting moods and meal times
The report also revealed that with 45% of parents using screens to calm children, three-quarters (75%) are experiencing tantrums when access to them is denied.
Further to this, one in three (34%) children struggles to eat meals without a screen in front of them – and one in five parents (21%) uses screens at restaurants to keep their children calm.
Olivia warns: “Screens feel predictable, but the difficulty is that the child doesn’t learn how to self-regulate their emotional and sensory processing.
“And at the dinner table, screens can distract children from the experience of eating itself, which over time, can affect how well a child learns to chew or move food around their mouth.”
When should parents give children their own smartphone?
Despite Compare and Recycle’s research showing that the average child in the UK should be at least 11 years old before they have their own mobile phone, recent Ofcom research shows that, currently, 91% of children own one by the age of 11.
Interestingly, over two-fifths (41%) of parents wish they had delayed giving their child a smartphone, and nearly a third (29%) have given their children ‘dumb’ phones (those with just basic calling and texting functionalities) to delay full internet access.
Antonia Hristov, Head of Marketing at Compare and Recycle, commented on the research:”Appropriate use of devices can encourage and promote engagement in children, but it must be done mindfully, especially during early developmental years. As adults, it’s hard enough for us to curb our own screen time, especially when devices are so engaging, and our research highlights a concerning trend of excessive screen time amongst children in the UK.
“However, with the findings showing that increased screen time amongst children is starting to have an impact on traditional developmental milestones, adults must lead by example. We hope our survey challenges parents to rethink both their own and their child’s device habits. In an era of constant connectivity, it’s unrealistic to cut screens out entirely – but substituting screen time for more intentional activities as a family can make all the difference.
“If you’re struggling with a digital detox, consider recycling your current handset and swapping it out for a dumb phone – these can be excellent devices to help keep you connected, while reducing your reliance on the dopamine hits we get from modern devices.”
Read the full report, with more statistics from the survey and insights from Olivia here:https://www.compareandrecycle.co.uk/blog/effects-of-screen-time-on-children
Survey conducted amongst 1,000 UK parents with children under the age of 17 between 15th and 18th July 2025 via 3Gem.
Olivia Hodges is a Paediatric Occupational Therapist with an MSc in Occupational Therapy and is HCPC registered.